How to Help Ward Off COVID-19

It is clear that there are significant differences among people in their body’s response to COVID-19. Some are less likely to even contract the disease, and others, once infected can have very mild symptoms or are even asymptomatic. And to make matters more enigmatic, those without symptoms can possibly infect others. Has anyone else really wondered why?

The answer, posited by some well-known functional medicine doctors (references with links will be at the end of this blog), may be tied to how well an individual’s immune system functions.

WebMD.com reports that 20% become seriously ill with COVID-19 and thankfully, now, the majority seem to fully recover. But 20% is a lot of people and severe illness is no fun at all.

Certain chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity have been earmarks of those that suffer the most from COVID. Metabolic syndrome (which causes the conditions listed above) has been named a pandemic of its own. It’s a non-communicable disease but it’s spreading, especially in the western world. To quote Jeffrey Bland in his article: A Pandemic Within a Pandemic:

Let’s now draw a straight line between the non-infectious pandemic of metabolic syndrome pandemic and the infectious pandemic of COVID-19. Metabolic syndrome dramatically increases our risk of developing comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes. These in turn predispose us to contracting COVID-19 and for developing more severe symptoms after infection. This is likely due to the chronic inflammatory state (altered immunity) associated with metabolic syndrome.

This chronic inflammation associated with metabolic syndrome is what causes the cytokine storm and is due to an out of control immune system.

What about young, apparently healthy individuals who have gotten severely sickened by COVID-19? The spiky virus has the ability to bind tightly to ACE2 receptors and penetrate into cells. Some doctors have surmised that there may be genetic variations in ACE2 receptors to make an individual more or less likely to contract the virus. A young person could also have a tendency towards an inflammatory response. There is also the sad fact that even high school students have shown signs of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

SO- what factors contribute to metabolic syndrome? Here are a few:

• Genetics
• Environment
• Poor diet
• Lifestyle
• Stress
• Insomnia

Let me be a crazy optimist here: The COVID-19 pandemic, at very best, can be a wake-up call to make sweeping changes in our nation’s medical system towards more patient education and preventative care. And it can encourage all of us to eat better, exercise, meditate, and be kind and patient with one another—things that reduce stress and help our bodies cope and ward off disease.

A quick review of things we can do something about.

What You Already Know: Prevent the Spread

• Wear masks in public
• Wash hands
• Social distance

Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to be Complicated.

Limit or eliminate processed food, cut out the evil white sugar, and eat LOTS of vegetables and fruits. That will get you started.

The Mediterranean diet has been studied and shown to be very good for overall health. This includes primarily white meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, plenty of vegetables, some dairy and healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, avocados and coconut oils.

There are many other ways to eat healthy and a lot depends on your particular body. The two main agreed-upon points are detailed in the first sentence of this section.

How to Start Exercising

If you want to build muscle, get strong, get out of bed without falling, or prepare for bull running in Spain, contact me. I can give you an assessment and help you lay out a fitness program. See my Personal Training page.

If you have been sedentary, a good place to start is Qigong and Tai Chi. Why? They combine movement with meditation so you can get exercise, the important mind-body connection, and the anti-stress benefits of meditation! I am still hosting online Zoom Qigong classes.

What About Supplements?

I like Dr. Mark Hyman’s list of supplements to help build up your immune system. His whole blog is fantastic advice on how to fight COVID-19. For supplements, scroll to the end of his article. Follow this link. https://drhyman.com/blog/2020/04/01/a-functional-medicine-approach-to-covid-19/

I can give you a 20% discount on most supplements. Go to https://wellevate.me/sarah-mcmullen and create an account. Wellevate has all your high-end supplements in a one-stop shopping experience.

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The main source of all the information in this blog is from Dr. Jeffrey Bland’s article: A Pandemic Within a Pandemic.  https://medium.com/@jeffreyblandphd/covid-19-a-pandemic-within-a-pandemic-fd0f4fca373b